Sarah Kay Moll's blog on writing

Welcome

I’ve always been fascinated by psychology, as an author and as a human being. And I’ve been particularly fascinated by the places where those two identities intersect. You could argue that all writing is the study of psychology, and that all writers must be students of psychology.

I certainly am a student, of psychology and of the craft of writing, and the more I learn about each, the more I realize how vast a world the human mind creates, and how little of it I’ve charted.

I’m fascinated most by the places where our thoughts and emotions break down, by the mental illnesses that can affect the mind and body both. I’m fascinated by this in part because my mental illness shaped my own life. I’ve seen, in myself and in loved ones, the suffering it can cause.

In Man’s Search For Meaning, renowned psychiatrist Dr. Viktor Frankl writes: “human life, under any circumstances, never ceases to have a meaning, and… this infinite meaning of life includes suffering.”

This cuts to the core of why I am so compelled to learn about mental illness. The suffering I see, the suffering I experience, must have a meaning. And I truly believe one place to find meaning is in art.

On this blog, I’ll be writing about the places where art and psychology intersect, about living with mental illness, about portraying these disorders in books and movies, about healing, and about finding meaning. I write this for me, but I hope that it means something to you, too. Thank you for reading.